Tag Archives: separation of church and state

The time to fight back — and fight forward — for reproductive justice is fast approaching. The stakes are high in this year’s state election, with candidates for governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and other races on the ballot. The Arizona general election will be held November 6, 2018, with early voting beginning on October 10. Voters need to be registered by October 9 to cast their ballots. Reproductive health has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who put our health and our rights first. Get to know them now in our series of “Meet Our Candidates” interviews, and make your voice heard in 2018!

Jo Craycraft is running for the Arizona Senate seat in Legislative District 1, which is home to communities in the Verde Valley, Prescott Valley, and surrounding areas such as Prescott and Dewey-Humboldt. While the roots of these districts are rural and proud, the policies its representatives have supported over the last decade have stripped this region of resources and neglected the impact of the unregulated industryof sober living homes on the opioid epidemic.

“Arizonans are more engaged than ever in stewardship of their great state.”

Ms. Craycraft is running against Sen. Karen Fann, who is seeking re-election and has historically toed the GOP party line on issues important to Planned Parenthood. This district is also home to Rep. David Stringer, whose racistcomments documented on social media seem emblematic of many of the area’s other lawmakers, such as U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, who was recently targeted in an ad by six of his nine siblings for peddling conspiracy theories on social media and failing to represent the interests of his rural congressional district, which overlaps with LD 1.

Bolstered by an impressive resume and an even more impressive drive to serve all the people of this district, Ms. Craycraft was generous enough to take a break from campaigning and answer our questions on September 17, 2018.

Please tell us a little about your background and why you’re running for office right now in this political climate.

After a career that includes 30 years in law enforcement — 10 years as a police officer and 20 years in the FBI — an MBA and law degree, and owning a private investigation agency, I am now seeking to represent the people of Arizona’s Legislative District 1. My deep understanding of the law and history of meeting and interacting with people all along the socio-economic spectrum have informed my approach to common-sense and compassionate lawmaking. Continue reading →

Greetings, Dear Readers! Highlighting the hypocrisy of Republicans is a regular occurrence on this blog, so we’ll start this post off with yet another example of how their words don’t always match up with their actions.

You’re familiar with CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, correct? For those who aren’t, CHIP is a federally funded program that provides health insurance to 9 million U.S. children whose families earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to pay for health insurance. Additionally, 370,000 pregnant women receive care under CHIP.

Well, the funding for that program expired on September 30. And our Republican-controlled congress is in no hurry to do anything about that. They are, however, working ULTRA diligently to rush through tax cuts for the richest Americans ASAP.

The health and lives of almost 10 million Americans is hanging in the balance! Where are our “pro-life” leaders when we need them? Preparing to fork over barrels of cash to the wealthy. (WaPo)

Also, Ivanka should stop pretending this dumb-ass tax cut bill will help women and families! It won’t! So girl, give it up! (American Progress)

Roy Moore’s allegedly prolific history of preying upon teen girls as an adult may take a back seat to the issue of abortion in this month’s Alabama Senate race. It’s not all that surprising, really. Republican legislators and voters often prove to value unborn, potential children over actual ones who’ve left the womb. (Buzzfeed)

Alex Azar, Trump’s pick for Department of Health and Human Services secretary, thinks that an employer’s personal views about birth control should take precedence over a woman’s needs, aspirations, potential existing health issues, financial and mental fitness for a child, and RIGHT to control her own body. Alex is a moron and a misogynist. He’ll be right at home within the Trump Administration. #BirdsOfAFeather (Newsweek)

Nineteen Democratic state attorneys general disagree with Alex Azar. In a brief filed earlier this week, they argue that “allowing employers with religious or moral objections to contraception to block their employees from receiving coverage violates the constitutional separation of church and state and encourages illegal workplace discrimination against women.” We agree! (Bloomberg)

Not only does sexual education need to be more comprehensive and robust, it also needs to be FAR more inclusive of LGBTQ students. (Refinery29)

Notre Dame reversed its decision regarding birth control coverage in its health plans. They better keep it that way, dammit. (NPR)

Could not agree with this article more: Adoption Is Not a Universal Alternative to Abortion, No Matter What Anti-Choicers Say. (Rewire)

Despite their best efforts, the Trump Administration lost its fight to keep Jane Doe, a migrant teen, from having an abortion. But those vindictive goons are still fighting — to stop other pregnant teens like her from obtaining abortions, and to get the Supreme Court to sanction the lawyers who challenged the administration. UGH! (Mother Jones)

The Arizona primary election takes place TODAY! Find your polling location here. Reproductive health care access has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive justice. To acquaint you with our endorsed candidates, we are running a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” In order to vote in today’s primary election, you need to have been registered to vote by August 1. Missed the deadline? You can still register online for November’s general election. Make your voice heard in 2016!

Scott Prior is resilient and tenacious in his commitment to underrepresented citizens. He is running for the state Senate in Arizona’s Legislative District 16 for the third time. He previously ran in 2012 and 2014, at which time he shared his thoughts with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona (PPAA). PPAA has endorsed Mr. Prior each time because as a Democrat who is independent-minded, he places the interest of people over the interest of profit. He is committed to individual freedom and believes that human dignity should come before corporate, government, or religious interests. Mr. Prior’s wife is running in the same district for the state House of Representatives. Scott and Cara have been married 20 years and live in Apache Junction. They are both committed to reproductive justice.

“Sex education should be age-appropriate and provided in schools.”

Legislative District 16 includes Apache Junction, East Mesa, Gold Canyon, and northern San Tan Valley. Mr. Prior will be running against Republican David Farnsworth. Sen. Farnsworth believes that abortions should always be illegal and does not believe that the Arizona government should fund clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services. Sen. Farnsworth also does not support sex education in schools, increasing funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy, the inclusion of sexual orientation in Arizona’s anti-discrimination laws, or recognizing same-sex marriages.

On July 8, 2016, Mr. Prior generously took time to share his thoughts with PPAA again via Skype, sharing why he is more determined than ever to win this election.

Since PPAA last spoke with you, how has your commitment to serving Arizona grown? What has happened during that time to give you hope, and what has happened to strengthen your convictions?

The serious mistakes made over the last two years by the state Legislature have made me even more resolved to make a difference in the state of Arizona. Funding for schools has been slashed while corporate tax breaks and funding for private prisons have been increased. I do not want to see what has happened in Kansas happen in Arizona. In Kansas, there has not been enough money to keep the schools open the entire year.

As a secular humanist, I do not believe or follow any religion. It is unacceptable for the Phoenix City Council and the Arizona Legislature to deny all but Judeo-Christian faiths from taking part in opening invocations. It is important that we all understand the importance of the separation of church and state. Continue reading →